Simon Jordan has used his column in the Sun to attack Rafa Benitez and the Newcastle fans.
“Look at the Rafa Benitez saga at Newcastle. Riddled with hypocrisy.”
That’s the line Jordan uses to start his attack and he goes on to accuse Benitez of betraying the trust of Mike Ashley after being paid a “king’s ransom” at St James’ Park.
“A boss who opted to snap up a £12m-a-year role in the backwater of Chinese football, having endlessly and incessantly broken that trust he was supposed to have with his boss by constantly briefing against him in the media,” Jordan wrote.
However, Jordan saved his biggest criticism for the Newcastle fans.
“One of the biggest hypocrisies of all is the expectation of the fans themselves, demanding owners must come through the door, give them exactly what they want in terms of elite players, without caring less about who they are or where they got their money from.
“Fans who scream their demands for more signings to be made and new deals be handed out to good players, and then moan when the price of the season ticket has gone up as a result.”
OPINION
It seems that everyone is an expert on Newcastle, despite not being privy to what’s going on behind the scenes. Jordan admitted that Ashley deserves some criticism but went on to launch an extraordinary attack on Benitez and the fans. Benitez has moved on but it seems there are plenty of people who won’t let him go without constantly trying to drag his name through the mud. Benitez was paid well at Newcastle but this is a manager who stayed when the club was relegated to the Championship and steered them back into the Premier League. A manager who has won the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup. He deserved his money. As for the fans, they’ve had to put up with a lot under Ashley and are entitled to voice their opinions on what’s going on at the club. What purpose do these constant attacks on Benitez and the fans achieve? Jordan is a former owner and is an erudite pundit but he’s got it badly wrong this time.
